Prospect Hill 2/23/2008

[hiroto]

Date(s) Skied: 2/23/2008

Resort or Ski Area: Prospect Hill, Waltham, MA

Conditions: 100% Untracked powda!

Trip Report:

My first lost ski area visit and first time earning my turns.

I've been waiting for a good opportunity to visit this lost ski area 5 minutes away from my home. Kid's saturday language school got canceled due to snow and it was ideal time to try. When I asked my son if he wants to ski this hill in Waltham (we used to picnic there when he was little and we lived in Waltham but he didn't remember), he asked "how do you get to the top?" , I answer "walk", he responded "no way!". Oh well, I guess we are not making Tuckerman trip anytime soon.

After blowing the snow off my drive way, got to the hill around 9. I have drove by here once in a while but I haven't stopped and took a closer look at it for something like 7 or 8 years. I was surprised to see most of the trail is now covered with shrubs while it was nice and clear the last time I looked at. But I see a few lines through the bush which seems wide enough to ski through.

I was going to climb the beginner trail on the right, but the road to the top of the hill was already plowed, so I decided to walk it up instead. At the top, it wasn't that obvious where the trail starts from. I wondered around and got to the place with good visibility and I saw Blue Hills in the distance. Oops, went to the wrong side of the hill. Tracked backed to the water tank, put the skis on and started to ski/walk around the tank.

The upper (beginner) trail was starting at the other side of the tank. I found remain of T bar building from the upper T bar.

The slope is all covered with shrubs and only narrow trail is left through the middle. Not steep enough in the powder to get any forwarding speed so pretty much pushed myself down.

Started to get a little steeper and I started to move through next part then came to an opening which is the top of the lower "advanced" trail.

There was the building for the lower T bar on the left.

and the night skiing light poles on the right.

I started to go down into the steeper slope where now I get enough speed to make turns. Start to feel some rocks below the powder too. Not enough coverage for the steeps I guess. Then came to the opening which is the top of the "head wall".

There was a section in the middle where I could make some decent turns.

continue...

 

[hiroto]

... continued

Going up the road was way too much D-tour and the whole thing took me like 30 minutes, so I decided to go with the original plan of going up the side of the hill.

I found a narrow trail going up parallel to the main slope (maybe just a hiking trail and was not a skiing trail) so I hiked up it with skies off.

It took me to the top of the advanced area. Looking at T bar building from below.

I found a nice line where lower T bar used to run.

It was a nice line with no rocks to hit.

At the bottom, I saw a guy walking up with Telemark skies. He said he is also trying the hill out for the first time. He climbed the same way I climbed. and I followed slowly being already tired from the last two ascends.

This time I tried the line further right, but with lots of small tree covers, it wasn't as a good as the other two.

And that was pretty much it for the untracked lines.

I must say it was an interesting experience.

 

[shwilly]

Waltham powder! Great report. I used to work right by that hill, but never hiked for turns.

 

[kickstand]

I found this post a little late, but nice job. I grew up in Waltham but never skied it. My family had summer outings there, so I've hiked it several times. Even did some drinking over at Boston Rock! I've always thought about hiking and skiing it, but haven't done it yet. Looks like its worth doing with good coverage.

 

[Johnskiismore]

Thanks for posting this, I missed this as well! When I was in high school this is the hill that we raced at! Practice was at Blue Hills, and on Mondays Prospect Hill was where the meet was. Last November I took a walk up the hill, hadn't been there in about twenty years. I am hoping to ski down it again some winter.

 

[hiroto]

Glad you enjoyed the report. I'm bummed that I never skied the place when it was open.

 

[kickstand]

From what I hear, you didn't miss much. They tell me it was always a sheet of ice. OTOH, if you could ski Prospect Hill you could ski anywhere!

I remember hearing a story about my old next door neighbor. Poor kid wiped out close to the base and slid all the way under the porch. I don't exactly where it was he wiped, but that's scary stuff.

 

[Johnskiismore]

Oh yeah, it could be icy! After the first dozen or so racers the snow was all scraped off near the gates. You had to be practically skiing on top of the gate, or skiing wide to keep your edges in. I mean this was bullet proof ice from gate two through five or so. Many racers would lose their edge, fall, stop falling below the next gate, get up, climb as fast as possible to get up and around the missed gate.

As this did happen to me and it's pretty funny because your team is cheering you on as you're coming down, you fall and slide (you now hear a big disgusted sigh), then they're cheering you on again as you are climbing up the hill, then the cheers start all over again as you start down the course again.

Oh the memories.......